What is the best way to use points?

I have been a Marriott Reward member and MVC owner for years. Accumulated about 1 Million points. I am disappointed in what they purchase and wondering if transferring or something is better. I have used AMEX Rewards and Capital One, which seem to be a much better bang for the point in redeeming. I am new to Insiders, my first interaction right now. Any suggestions?

dpgile, redemption value is often in the eye of the beholder. That is to say, we all value things a little differentl. Some might prefer an experience such as a sporting event, musical entertainment, a master class etc. Others might take the family on a grand vacation for which you might not otherwise spend the money. And, still others, might use the points to offset the costs of normal patronage e.g. a small business owner looking to give back to his/her company.

For me, I use the standard 1 cent per point. If I can exceed that value for a redemption stay, then I feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth and then some. Most often, it’s spent on family vacations. So, my advice, for what it’s worth, is to decide what’s most important to you, and spend accordingly. That’s where the real value lies!

rtrask Many people estimate the value of a point in monetary terms. Gives you some guidance if something is a good deal or now. 100 points is worth (order of magnitude) $1. These are EPA estimates, your mileage will vary. You need to figure out the right number, but that is a good starting point.

So if you are redeeming 50K points for a room you can pay $100 for, then pay the money ($50K points should be work $500 a night).

i appreciate your comment, and I understand and agree with what your saying. I won’t use points unless they equate to a 1% or more value. That is exactly where I found the challenge. I used them when I went to the super bowl and used 60k points for a $800 room which is great. But when looking it is very hard to find anything of 1% value on normal deals/rates. Capital One your earn 2 points per dollar, and can always get 1% valuejust simply booking any tralel so it’s like getting 2% and you can literally use it for anything at that value. I look at it stricktly as a value, not an experience. If there are any secrets to finding 1% and above value in terms of dollars I would love to know about thEm, I’m finding that hard to get with Marriott rewards.

Best value for redemption is travel packages where you get airline miles and 7 night hotel certificates.

Of course you can find good value when redeeming for moments. For eg: Last year SPG had 2 F1 tickets for the mexico GP for 20k points which would be 60k marriott points. I wanted these seats but they sold out pretty quickly.

Assuming those were main grand stand seats that would give you great redemption value as the cash rates would be atleast $500 per ticket.

Also I used 450300 equivalent marriott points to get SPG suite tickets for mens finals of US open tennis. It was an amazing experience and I would do it again.

I have always found US properties categories are super inflated, you will have to look outside to find a good redemption value.

Agree to the first post for most everything. Point numbers are objective, value is subjective. I can easily remember redeeming points for hotels at full price for one night and having an incredible time and another trip where I used pointsavers and had a miserable time. Each trip and destination is different, along with the company, weather, experiences, etc.

Several forums talk about value options for using points on a regular basis. My personal preference is to use them as a last resort, if I'm feeling cheap, or in a pinch. Most recently, I was in NYC and my wife despised our Hyatt location in Flushing by Arthur Ashe stadium. After one night we checked out and went to the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. As you might expect, rates were incredibly high trying to book the day of, so we opted to use points at full value.

Although the 'value' of the points can be debated, my wife was thrilled to get out of Flushing and into a more enjoyable hotel, in a better part of NYC. I am glad I have points available to be able to do this, even if it is sub-optimal.

If my primary focus was quantitative, I'd think the package deals and supersavers make the most logical sense. There are probably exceptions to that, but I suspect more variety and options will come with SPG coming on board too (experiences). Their value may be limited though, so I wouldn't necessarily equate 'new' with 'value' but rather focus on the subjective angle of what matters to you.

I've tended to use my points on vacation for 5 night stays which involve 4 nights of points and a 5th night free. These have been great opportunities for me, especially when I can use Suite Night awards to have a guaranteed suite. With Marriott and SPG together now, I can compare point values and get an even better deal depending on the brands in a specific area (e.g., last September I saved 7,000 Starpoints (21,000 MR points) by staying at a Residence Inn as opposed to a nearby Element for a 5-night stay. It was a great deal!

So I would suggest that no matter how you use your points, if you have some time you may want to do a little comparison shopping across brands as well.

I use my MR Points on high value properties at high value brands during high season for vacation.

For example, Paris, Vienna, Prague, London, NYC where the nightly rates can often be greater than $600/night in the summer are a great way to use points if available. I typically will use them for stays at Ritz Carlton, Saint Regis, JW Marriott, and Autograph properties.

I believe you said you are rewards member and a vacation club owner. As some one mentioned, travel packages are your best options. You book a hotel package and transfer enough miles into your airline program for a round trip to pretty much anywhere. Needless to say you need to make sure you transfer enough miles to accommodate your desired destination. In addition, even though you take a hotel category package, you do not necessarily have to use it. Also, and most importantly, you can get a travel package that has a 5 night hotel package, instead of the 7 night, which uses less points. In order to use a 5 night package, you need to call Marriott reward representatives.

I actually use 1.25 cents per point and won't use points without getting that much value.

I simply compare the cost of the best available rate with the number of points that a room costs. If I can't get 1.25 cents value per point, I book for cash. A second thing to remember is "ALWAYSbook rooms in blocks of 5 nights when staying on points. You pay for 4 and get 5. The fifth night is free when staying on points. Without that strategy, I'd rarely get 1.25 cents value per point.